The Other Me
by ContraryNonsense
Summary: Brendan discovers that his friends don't think as highly of him as he thought. Well, he's just going to have to change that! He's gonna make them see him like a whole new person... Changed to humor, because it is decidedly not dramatic at the moment. Might change it back later, we'll see what happens.
1. Chapter 1

**First fan fiction… let's hope for the best! (Be warned, I added a couple OC's, but they are mostly there to fill up space. They won't be too important to the overall plot… I think. And before you tell me, I know what Brendan's real back story is; mine just fit with my story better.) Side note, Brendan and his friends are about 15, 16 in this. I think it's kinda stupid to have ten year olds travel the world on their own, even if they have super powered monsters to protect them.**

**I don't own Pokémon! That belongs to Nintendo/ The Pokémon Company.**

_Italics = thought_

A fire crackled and popped in the crisp night air as a group of trainers sat around, laughing and having a good time. Their names were Brendan, May, Jack, and Emily. They had been travelling together for several months, training to become the best in their respective fields. May wanted to be a researcher like her father, professor Birch, Emily wanted to become a breeder, and Jack… he just thought it sounded like fun. Brendan's greatest dream… was to make his dad proud of him by becoming a pokémon master. Currently, those plans were in the farthest part of their minds, as they sat and relaxed, not a care in the world.

"Hey Emily, what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing Brendan, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Well, I read this article the other day on a book I like, and it explained how often times characters in a book fall into a certain archetype, and then into more specific sub-types. I was wondering if the same was true for real life. If so, where would we fall?"

Jack spoke up. "That's obvious! I am the devilishly handsome and talented friend to the protagonist; Emily is the kind little shy girl that secretly is a scary demon…" Emily smacked him and gave him a glare. "…May is the brainiac that tries to keep us out of trouble (not that it works), and be the voice of reason; and Brendan is the happy-go-lucky idiot hero!" He concluded chipperly while rubbing his head.

"Wait, why am I the idiot hero?"

"Because no offense Brendan, you aren't exactly the brightest tool in the shed."

"What! Why do you think that?"

"You always charge into any situation without any plan, you tend to put your foot in your mouth, and you act like a complete blonde. No offense, Emily." She scowled at him further.

"I'm an idiot for acting **happy**?" He was getting more agitated by the minute.

"No one could possibly always be that happy and not be a naïve ditz!"

"Well, maybe I'm not as happy as I seem! You don't know anything about me! Ever think that I might be trying my hardest to keep looking forward and remain positive? Ever think of that?"

"Well, uh... I mean… um…" Jack stammered, shocked at the outburst.

"You know what? Just leave me alone. I'm going to bed." Brendan got up and stormed away.

"…What just happened?" Jack asked, wide eyed.

"You just royally f***ed up, that's what," snapped Emily, throwing the stick she had been twiddling with to the ground. May looked worriedly in the direction Brendan had just gone.

"…Brendan… why?"

* * *

Brendan wasn't sleeping. He was out on a walk, trying to calm his head. "I can't believe that all this time they just saw me as your run-of-the-mill hotheaded idiot! And a clueless one that still saw the world as being made of beautiflies and rainbows at that!" the trainer ranted. Then suddenly, he stopped his aggressive pacing and leaned his head against a tree. "I learned what the world truly was like long ago…" he whispered to himself. Every time he closed his eyes, he could still see that day: a roar, a glint of red, a scream… his own.

Brendan shook himself out of his reverie. He couldn't allow himself to think about that. He forced himself to focus on the issue at hand. How was he supposed to act around his friends now? Blowing up in their faces was probably not the best course of action, but the fact that his friends held him in such low regard, it shocked him. _How could I possibly face them tomorrow? They'll look at me like I'm a ticking time bomb. _He let out a sigh. Then suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he straightened up, a mischievous sparkle in his eye. _That's it! I **won't** face them tomorrow! Or at leas_t _not as __**me**__… _He let out a chuckle. This was going to be fun. _Guess I have to give her a call, I'm gonna need some help!_

…**and first chapter done! Nowhere near as long as I was expecting, but it seemed like a good place to stop, so whatever. I'm sorry for the lack of romance, but there will be a lot more in later chapters. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can. In the meantime, please review! And if you want to flame me, I have just one thing to say: Right back at ya, you jackass! (I apologize if that offended anyone. Unless you're a troll. If so, please look at previous statement.) **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back! I meant to update sooner, but loads going on right now. I look at the weeks ahead and realize that I do way to much crap. Anywho, you probably want to go straight to the story… but you're going to have to wait another minute while I thank **** for being my first ever reviewer! (And you're right in that I got it from the manga, but it's not groudon. ;) ) For the rest of you, thanks for bothering to read this. Onward!**

**I don't own Pokémon or anything affiliated with it, nor do I own Final Fantasy.**

_Italics = thought_

"Are you sure this will work? Doesn't seem like it's enough…" Brendan questioned her.

"Don't worry, from the sound of it they wouldn't be able to wrap their heads around the idea that you could be anything but the Brendan they think they know." She replied.

"If you say so… I have to go call the professor and Nurse Joy and asked for their help. I'll talk to you later and tell you how it goes. Thanks again."

"No problem." She hung up the phone. _I wish I could be there… I want to see if it works. Hopefully they are as close-minded as they seem to be. _She gave a slow smile. _ I can't wait._

May was worried. Brendan never came back last night, and his stuff was no longer at the camp. There wasn't any sign of him anywhere. Emily's voice broke into her fretting.

"May, look what I found. It's from Brendan." May ripped the piece of paper out of her hands and rushed to open it. Inside was a letter.

Dear May, Emily, and Jack

After last night, I have decided that I need some space. I'm going to be travelling on my own for a while, so please continue without me. I'm not going to tell you where I'm going, because I know you will just come after me. Maybe one day we will meet up and we can travel together again. Until then, good luck on whatever you do. Emily, keep working hard, I know you will be a great breeder. Jack, just be you, I guess. Just try not to piss off Emily too much. And May… I'm sure you will become a researcher even greater than your father. I'll really miss you. All of you. Take care,

-Brendan

May's hands shook as she stared at the letter, rereading it over and over, hoping that the contents would somehow change. Desperate, she looked up at her friends, hoping they would tell her it was just a joke. When she saw their faces, she knew it was the truth. The paper fluttered out of her hand as tears started to fall down her face. He was gone. Emily put a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's get going. There was a Pokémon Center a ways back. We can rest there while we decide what to do." May just stared at her.

Emily led them into the Pokémon Center. She was seriously worried. May looked like she was about to completely break down, and Jack… was** quiet.** That doesn't happen. Jack is never quiet; he is always the loud jokester. Emily was surprised to find herself wishing the normal him was around. He would have made the situation much more bearable. Walking up to the counter, she cleared her throat. Nurse Joy turned around and gave a gasp.

"Oh my! Is she alright? She looks ready to collapse!" Emily glanced over at May. She did look like she wasn't doing too well. _This has to stop. She's acting like he died or something!_

"Give us a second." Turning, she grabbed May by the hand and dragged her away. Stopping, Emily turned around sharply and gave May a slap. "Snap out of it! What the hell are you getting so depressed for? He may have gone off on his own, but Brendan's not dead or anything! No matter what he says, we are going after him. Someone needs to get him off his pity train, but that's not going to happen if you join him on it! Now get your brain in gear! We need you to plan what we should do next." May looked at her in shock for a second, then her eyes hardened and a flame seemed to light within them.

"You're absolutely right. I don't know what came over me. We are going after Brendan and dragging him back kicking and screaming if we have to!" Emily watched her, pleased that May was back to normal. _Now to find some info… and help the other one._ She glanced over to where Jack was still standing awkwardly. _ Sigh… how did I end up being the one that has to cheer everyone up? I'd be one of the first to admit that I'm not always the most pleasant around people. That's why I like Pokémon so much, they don't judge you and are so much more understanding. They listen when you talk._ Shaking off her train of thought, the young breeder decided to talk to Nurse Joy first. Jack could wait. However, as she opened her mouth to resume her interrupted conversation, the door opened and Nurse Joy exclaimed,

"There you are! I was wondering if something happened. You were supposed to be here hours ago!" Emily scrunched her face in annoyance. Was she ever going to get a decent conversation going with this woman? She turned to see who or what had interrupted her this time. It was a boy, about the same age as them. He had neat, deep black hair, and wore simple glasses over brown, intelligent eyes. He dressed in fashionable yet functional black cargo pants, a white collared shirt, and a sleek, dark green vest. But the most noticeable thing about him was the large scars on the crown of his head. They looked quite old. _I wonder how he got those. Still, something is so familiar about him. I feel like I know him, but I can't place why._ Then, he spoke up.

"My apologies, Nurse Joy. I arrived in town a bit early, so I decided to explore a bit. I ended up getting sucked into the library and lost track of time."

"That's just like you," she replied with a laugh. "Anyway, your Pokémon is waiting for you. It was getting quite anxious."

"Thank you, Joy. It will be good to see him after all this time." The boy smiled wistfully. Then, he seemed to take notice of Emily. "Oh, hello. I'm afraid I didn't see you there. May I ask your name?"

"…Emily."

"Well, Emily, It's nice to meet you. My name is Jezie"

Brendan couldn't believe it. She hadn't recognized him yet. All he did was change his clothes, put on his glasses for once (he really needed to wear them more, he hadn't seen this clearly in years), and… take off his hat. He felt his thoughts cloud up as soon as he thought about his hat. He felt so vulnerable without it on. It had hid his scars from the world ever since that day. However, it was easily his most recognizable item; in fact, many people seemed to think it was his real hair, which was completely ridiculous. Who had white hair naturally? No one, that's who… except maybe that pretty boy Sephiroth… but he didn't count because he was from a video game. He felt odd leaving his hat with **her**, but she was his confident in this plot. Emily seemed to notice his expression turning dark, because suddenly her hand was waving in front of his face while she asked him if he was okay.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." He smiled as if at a joke. "Just having some identity problems."

…**And that's it for this chapter. I'm sorry this took so long to get up, but these past couple weeks have been absolutely brutal on me, what with like five shows and end of the year finals. Anyway, my schedule is mostly back to normal and school gets out in a couple days, so free time is heading my way. Direct result: faster updates! So I'll update soon, and please review! Flamers look at first chapter closing note.**


	3. Chapter 3

**IM BACK! Good Lord, you have no idea how good it feels to be back on here. First things first: explanations. Not long after my last chapter, my computer broke. And I don't mean your piddly little blue screens of death or nothin', I mean full on torrents and flame… minus the flame and water. I actually have no idea how it happened, and it completely mystified anyone we took it to. Just one day, I turned on my computer, and my computer account was gone. I mean **_**gone**_**. Like it had never existed. Now, that might not sound so bad, except it meant I had no way to access anything on the computer. Even a freaking calculator. So basically, I have been without a computer for the past two years, because my dad was a lazy bum who wouldn't get around to doing anything about it, no matter how much I nagged him (love you dad). I could read and comment on stuff through my IPod, but that's about it. So here is some very late thank you's. First off is Blazelight790! Thanks for all the prolonged conversations. Next is FeelLikeSmiling. Thanks for the review, and sorry "soon" turned into way longer. Anyway, story time!**

**(Side Note: Apparently I completely B. when I said that Jack and Emily weren't going to be important. They totally are.)**

**I don't own Pokémon or anything affiliated with it. **

**I don't see the need to say it anymore, so this is the last time: **_Italics= thought_

Brendan chuckled inwardly at the look on Emily's face. She clearly thought he was insane. But messing with Emily, while fun, was not what he came here for. He started after Nurse Joy, leaving Emily with an annoyed look on her face. But it didn't matter. It had been so long since he had seen his old friend. He grew up with this Pokémon, and as such he shared a very close bond with it. However, his dad had forbidden him from taking it with him, wanting his son to pick his own starter and build his own team, growing along with them. And he was grateful, he loved his team, and they HAD made him stronger, but he was glad to finally have his buddy back with him. Though it was a pity it came at the price of having to leave his normal team with the professor, but he would be caught immediately if he used them. Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Brendan realized that he had gotten lost in thought.

"Sorry", he said sheepishly to Nurse Joy.

"It's quite alright, you must have a lot to think about", she chipperly replied. Brendan gave her a small smile, which quickly turned into something much larger when he heard the padding of paws running toward him. He had barely turned as he was tackled to the ground, an elegant white snout nuzzling and licking his face. Brendan laughed.

"Hey Brooke, it's good to see you too." Brooke let out a bark in agreement. Brendan worked himself out from under her, then stood up. He smiled and examined Brooke. A gorgeous Ninetales, it was clear that mom had been taking very good care of her while he was away. Her coat almost gleamed gold, it was so lustrous. But Brendan knew that under that delicate exterior was a fighter, and a true friend.

"Alright, here is her Pokéball, as well as her food. Take good care of her", Nurse Joy said with a wink. Brendan returned Brooke to her ball, and hooked it on his belt. Grabbing the food and shoving it in his bag, he walked back out to the front desk. Now he had an entirely new problem to deal with. How was he supposed to get his friends to want to travel with "Jezie"?

As he walked out, he saw Emily still standing there, looking downright pissed. He took a step back, the annoyance was positively dripping off of her. "Are you finally done with the dear Nurse? I have some things to ask her about", she said sweetly. However, it came off as rather terrifying. Brendan gulped, but put on a teasing smile and answered just as sweetly,

"But of course. I'm sorry I deprived you of her." Emily's veins started popping, and Brendan started worrying for his life. Just then, he was saved by Nurse Joy appearing behind him.

"I'm sorry about that, may I help you?" Emily looked between them for a second, then decided that talking to Nurse Joy was more important than slugging some boy she didn't know. _If only she knew… laugh. _Apparently some of his laughter made it on to his face, as Emily glared at him, then turned to Nurse Joy.

"Yes, I was hoping you might have seen my friend Brendan. About that dude's height, wearing a red coat, with white hair. Have you seen him?" Brendan sputtered when she said 'white hair'. She whipped around to him. "You got a problem with that?"

"I'm sorry, but no one has white hair."

"Albinos do!"

"Is he an albino?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then he couldn't have had white hair, at least naturally."

"I think I know my friend better than you do!"

"You sure about that?" Emily squinted her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked suspiciously. Brendan felt his stomach drop. _Shit. Had to let my mouth run._ He thought fast.

"Well, if you knew him so well, then you would be able to figure out where he would go." _Oh nice going, Brendan. That was totally not stupid. _Emily opened her mouth to retort, then snapped it shut and looked at him. _What now? Did she realize it's me?_

"You know, I hate to admit it to your smug face, but you're right."

"I am?"

"He is?" Nurse Joy chimed in. She had been listening nervously.

"He is. If I know my friend as well as I think I do, then I should be able to figure out where he would go." Nurse Joy broke in.

"If it makes you feel any better, I haven't seen him, so you wouldn't have gotten much help out of me."

"Yup, that makes me feel fantastic", Emily said sarcastically. "I'm going to brainstorm with my friends, it wasn't a pleasure meeting you. See ya." She started to walk away, but was stopped by Brendan.

"Wait!" She turned and gave him an irritated look.

"What?"

"I want to meet your friends."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm new around here and don't really know anyone."

"And that's my problem because…?"

"Emily! That was rude. It wouldn't hurt to just introduce him would it?" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

"Fine. But nothing funny, got it?" Brendan smirked.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

**And that was number three. Two years later. Yeah… Anyway, rate, review, comment, bake a cake, whatever. Now that I actually have a computer again, things should go much smoother. See you soon. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, another chapter already… when I said soon I didn't expect it to be that fast. Don't expect this to be the usual. It's just been so long that it feels so good to be able to write again. So for now, consider yourself lucky, and move on. :) Also, changing the category to Humor/Romance, as it is decidedly not serious. Nothing new to really say after the last one, so yeah… here we go.**

**I own the story and my characters alone, everything else belongs to their respective owners.**

The nerve of the guy! Emily was fuming. She had made it quite clear that she wanted nothing more to do with him, and here he was, butting in to her problems! She sighed. _Better get this over with._ She walked over to May, who gave her a questioning look as she saw the raven haired boy. Emily just rolled her eyes and gestured at Brendan. "This is… Jezie was it? He's new and Nurse Joy asked me to introduce him.

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you Jezie. My name is May, and this is Jack. Jack gave a nod when he was introduced, making Brendan raise an eyebrow. _Gosh dammit. He still isn't out of his funk._ Emily thought angrily. She needed to have a talk with the boy.

"Excuse us for a sec, I need to have a 'chat' with Jack here", Emily said, dragging Jack by his red hair.

"Owowowow! What are you doing!?" Jack exclaimed as she dragged him to a corner of the center.

"That's precisely what I want to ask you. What is with you!? Ever since Brendan left, you've become Mr. Pouty Mc'Moody, which is not like you. I mean, when I'm the cheeriest one of our lot, you know we have a problem." He cracked a smile at her joke.

"You? Cheery? Has Hell frozen over? Where's my scarf?" Emily smacked his arm.

"Haha, very funny. But seriously, what are you beating yourself up over? Brendan leaving? If so, stop. No one is to blame but Brendan for being a pussy. You just said what we all thought. It's not like we were looking down on him. In fact, I respect that sheer optimism and idiotic head-on approach of his. It's something I could never do. So get your head out of your ass, and help us think of where he might have gone." Jack stared at her for a second, then broke into a big, toothy grin.

"You're right, as always. What would I do without ya, Em?"

"Die." He let out a laugh.

"Probably!" He started walking back over, then stopped and looked back. "Thanks, Em."

"...You're welcome."

As Emily dragged Jack away, May realized that she was left alone with Jezie. _Well… this is awkward._ They just stood there for a second, looking around the room awkwardly. May decided to break the ice. "So… Jezie. Where are you from?"

"Uh…Kanto."

"Wow, that's pretty far away. Why did you decide to leave?"

"I, uh, wanted to try something new."

"Got tired of the same ol', same ol'?"

"Yeah, something like that." An awkward silence settled again. _He doesn't talk much does he?_ May thought with a sigh. _ Still, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before… but where? Oh I know! He must have been famous back in Kanto, and I saw him on TV or something! That would also explain why he doesn't want to talk about it! He's trying to keep a low profile!_ May let out a giggle, giving Brendan a knowing smile, which completely baffled and scared him. What was the matter with her?

As Emily was walking back, she saw Jezie standing there looking scared for his life and May with a goofy grin on her fa- wait. She knew that look. May was off in dreamland again, probably making up a weird persona for Jezie. And terrifying the poor boy while she was at it.

"Okay May, back to Earth please, we have important things to talk about. You can finish turning Jezie into a ninja pirate or whatever later." May wiped the weird grin off her face and looked at Emily.

"Sorry. So what are we doing?"

"We are figuring out where Brendan would want to go, and going from there. Anyone got an idea?"

"Maybe he went back home." Jack answered. Emily thought about it, but shook her head.

"No, that's really obvious. If he wanted to avoid us, he wouldn't go there. We could easily contact his parents or the professor. No, my guess is he went somewhere where we wouldn't expect to find him. Besides, he only left yesterday, he couldn't have gotten too far." May spoke up.

"We're currently in Lilycove, meaning that the closest towns to head to are Mossdeep and Fortree. Those would be our best bets." Emily nodded.

"You're right, but which one? They are in opposite directions, if we pick wrong we may lose him."

"I think we should go to Fortree. Brendan hates being on boats. He gets seriously seasick. So it's unlikely he would have taken the ferry."

"Great, now that that's settled, let's get rolling. We have to catch up as soon as possible." They all got up and started gathering their things. Brendan finally spoke up. This was his last chance.

"Would it be alright if I traveled with you? At least for now?" Emily looked at him suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Well, it sounds like this Fortree place is the next nearest city, and who wants to travel alone? Besides, you people are interesting."

"NO." She turned to leave. "Come on guys, let's go."

"Emily! How could you! It wouldn't be that bad. I say we should let him come with us." May exclaimed.

"Yeah, Em, don't be so cold hearted." said Jack. Emily looked back and forth between the two, then finally gave up.

"Fine, he can come. But ONLY to Fortree, and then he is on his own." Brendan smiled.

"Deal."

**Aaaand… that is chapter 4! Thanks for reading, rate, review, the usual. I feel like I've turned May into a cloud-cuckoolander. This was supposed to be all serious when I started out, and it has become something most definitely not. Ah well, c'est la vie. See ya.**


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